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PATENTBD MAY zo, 1856. N. B. MARSH. WATER. METER.

v 2 SHEETS-SHEET J.

No. 14,921. PATENTBD MAY zo, 1856.

N. B. MARSH. WATER METER.

2 SHEETS-SHEET ,2

top View of the vaIVechamber. end View of the meter.

Nrrc *rares AfrnN- rrr-ca.

NATHAN B.MARSH, OE CINCINNATI, OHIO.

lMPRDVED WATEREMTER.

Specileation forming part of Letters Patent No. WLS@ E, dated May 2U, 1856.

To @ZZ-whom, it may conoern.-

Be it known that I, NATHAN B. MARSH, of'

Cincinnati, Hamilton county, Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Water-Meter; and I d o. hereby declare the fol-lowing to bea full, clear, and exact description thereof, refer'- vertical section. i ab isacylindrical or nearly cylindrical shell called by me the water-chamber, and coing posed of two similar cylindrical or conical parts,attached to each other by bolts c passing through their iianges d. j is a. diaphragm of someimpervious and pliable fabric, the said diaphragm being formed out of an annular disk by securing theouter margin thereof between the danges d, so as to form a gasket, and stretching the inner margin and clamping it between two disks, f g, composing the piston, so as to form a shiftingcap-like partition, which isolates from each other the two ends of the waterchainber. Thisstretchingoi theinner margin prevents the diaphragrnbeing unduly strained by the throw of the two disks f g. rIhis pair of disks fg is coniined to a motion parallel' with their axis, and with that of the cylindrical chamber by mea-ns of the nuts t" on the screw-threaded central rod, i, passing out through stung boxes Ic in the cylinderheads. Attached to one side of this cylinder is a square box containing a supply-chamber,

v Z, and discharge-chamber m, and situated between these is a pair of valve-chambers, n o, which communicate by passages p q with their respective ends of vthe cylindrical chamber.

The valves,byn1eans of which the two compartments of the cylindrical chamber aresuccessively and alternately brought into coniliig. et is an axial and inunication with the supply and with'the discharge, are made to combine the promptn'ess of the puppet-valve with the freedom of the slide-valve-twogreat desiderata in a meter, and consist as follows:

fr s are two solidcylindrical pistons ground to fit and play easily within two cylindrical. tubes, tu, open at their ends into the supply and discharge chambers respectively, and also perforated yat their sides, so that when not clsed by their pistons there is free communication through the tube t or uintoits respect- I ive chambern or n, and thence with the respective compartments of the cylindrical chamber e b. The p'istonyalyes r s connect by rods 'u 'w with the opposite ends of abeaunmpivoted.

at its mid-length to the case.

y is an arm projecting rectangularly from the beam and iu the plane of its vibration.

One end of the main or diaphragm rod t' is by means of a bar, z, and set-screws 1,placed in rigid connection with a valverod,2,ha.ving

attached at suitable distances upon it, according to the length desired, a pair of tappets,3, which at the successive strokes of the piston move the arm y alternately to and fro, and with, it/the valves. 'c

In order that there may be no perceptible cessation of the iiow of water, or regurgitation, the last part of the valve motion is made almost instantaneous -by the retracting force of aspring, L.fa-composed of an india-rubber thong attached at one end tothe outside ofthe arm and at the other end to astirrup,-5, capable of vibrating around a pivot placed eccen trically with that of. the arm '1, so that the-A thong, being drawn ont at the middle of the stroke, tends, by its contractile force, to iustantly throw or shoot the arm to whichever extremity of its sweep it is for the time being nearest. These valves and their perforated sockets are so arranged that at no partof their motion can they both communicate with the supply and the discharge at the Sallie time.

They open and close at the same instant, and,

being perfectly balanced, are not subject to any unequal waterpressure. Their instantaneous action prevents any cessation of the `iiow of water, which escapes, consequently, in a uniform streaunas if flowing through an open pipe.

The main piston or disk f g, fitting loosely within the cylinder, and being simply con#y nected with the outer walls-by a pliant disk, (made to assume the cap form by the means before described,)does not oppose any friction to the passage of the water-a matter of great importance in such an apparatus where the hydraulic force, which is available as the motor, is in many cases very feeble, and the-same pliability ofthe diaphragm is, together with the absence of any appreciable resisting force,

a safeguard against any bursting of the inclosing-walls by a sudden variation of pressure; hence such a diaphragm (although ill adapted to pumps where a strong force is to be overcome, and where suicient pliability of rubber involves an insufficiency of strength) is particularly applicable to the more delicate and Ayielding operation of a meter.

,The above-described apparatus l(although intended as an illustration of my invention and Y 1 preferrred'by me for that purpose, because my earliest and successful embodiment of the plan) may be. variously modified to suit dierent.

circu mstances-as,for'example,1the pistou-rod may be placed to one side of the center of the I -cylinder and disk and nearer to the valve l, movement, so as to shorten the connection, or

the connection may be made by a vibratingarm; or `the piston may only emerge at one head, soas to .involve butone stuffing-box;

or the valve may be-thrown by two pistons v communicating directly, with the respective ends of the water-chamber. The diaphragm maybe made of stout canvas or other woven or matted lfabric saturated with caoutchouc or other varnish or paint. Registering or indicating dials of any approved construction may Y derive motion from the valve-rodby means of a pawl and ratchet or otherwise.

Having thus fullydescribed the nature of my invention, I would state that I am aware that elastic diaphragms have been used for various purposes. This therefore I do not claim; but' What I do claim as new, and desire to secure 1. Themanner of pinchng the diaphragm between' the plates f g, so as to perfectly'and at all times back the joint between the cham;V

bers which it divides-viz., by means of the projecting flanges on each lapping past each( other, Iand the nuts to hold them togethen'as" represented.

2. The double reversiugfvalve movemcnt,as

described-namely, the ltwo solid cylindrical,

valves r a, having theirspindles connected by a rocking beam, al, and playing within tubes t u, communicating at their ends with the supply and discharge respectively, and with the respective compartments of the measuring`' cylinder, by means of aperturesin their sid. I In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand before two subscribing witnesses.

NATHAN B. MARSH.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. KNIGHT, J. B. BENNETT. 

